Netizens React To The Shocking Album Sales Of A Virtual K-Pop Group

As time progresses and technology advances, new things are tried out in various industries. This includes K-Pop, where the latest trend is virtual, and AI members of groups.

While aespa introduced AI members who are often featured in their MVs, other groups have debuted virtual members entirely separate from other group members.

aespa | SM Entertainment SUPERKIND | Deep Studio Entertainment

Also becoming more frequent are the entire groups of virtual idols with real-life people voicing them, though these individuals remain unknown. PLAVE are one of these groups, using the same technology VTubers use to have an animated character in place of their body.

| Vanity Teen

PLAVE — made up of Noah, Bamby, Yejun, Eunho, and Hamin and rumored to include former members of disbanded K-Pop groups — debuted on March 12, 2023, with the single album Asterum.

Though it might not make sense to some, PLAVE are just like regular K-Pop groups and can do many of the same things, like holding live broadcasts where they chat with fans and even appearing on music shows.

The group recently made their comeback with their first mini-album, Asterum: The Shape of Things to Come.

While PLAVE’s first releases had a strong digital showing, the album’s physical sales for the first day were just under 6,700 and ended the week at just under 28,000. Their newest album has completely blown these numbers out of the water within the first sales day!

According to the Hanteo Chart, Asterum: The Shape of Things to Come sold 63,000 copies in the first twenty-four hours.

| Hanteo Chart

This is an incredible increase from their initial album and surely a sign of the group’s increasing popularity. Netizens were extremely surprised by the sales number, congratulating the group on their feat!

IM SO PROUD OF THEMpic.twitter.com/LHWsLmwDKG https://t.co/1x8jS8Ru3C

— an (@plavelvr) August 24, 2023

For an AI/AR group?? Wow https://t.co/mYJSmkcJm5

— call me Wana | Penat hidup (@AiWannaYou1) August 24, 2023

it’s only been like 5 months from the debut and we’ve achieved so many milestones!!! https://t.co/WuSH0JSVNj

— Asterum's Peach | TSOTTC (@dobongby3377) August 24, 2023